String-fingering device.



H. SGHLEMMER.

STRING FINGERING DEVICE.

APPLIGATIQN FILED JAN. zo, 190s,

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Patented Maur.V 29, 1910.

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Hg SCHLEBMHIRI STRING FINGBRING DEVICE. APPLIGATIN FILED JAILZO, 1908.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

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AM C04, PHOTO-LYHDGRAPHERS ASMNGTON D C lthe following is a specification, reference be- UNITED sTATEsPATENT onricn.

HENRY SGHLEMMER, 0F

EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS.

STRING-FINGERING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY SCHLEMMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Effingham, in the county of Effingham and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in String-Fingering Devices, of which ing had therein to the accompanying drawings,

rl`his invention relates 'to musical instruments, especially to instruments of that class in which vibration of a string is caused by a bow (such as violins, violas, violoncellos, etc), and relates more particularly to those parts by which the operator stops the string, 2'. e., determines the length of string which is allowed to vibrate.

Although the subject-matter of this application is particularly intended to be used in connection with the violin-playing mechanism shown and described in my pending apH plication for patent, Serial Number 401,387, tiled November 9, 1907, it is, nevertheless, capable of use in other relations and on many instruments other than violins, and can be applied to any stringed instrument in which the note to be played is determined by the act of the operator in stopping the string at a predetermined point (among such instruments being banjos, guitars, mandolins, and the like).

In the drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur, Figure I is a side view of the neck of an instrument equipped with the string-stopping device; Fig. 2 is top view of the same parts shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a perspective 'view of one of the dampers or stopkeys detached from other parts; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the stop-keys and the guides within which same moves; Figs. 5, (3, and 7 illustrate forms of action for imparting movement to the stop-keys; Fig. 8 is a side view of an instrument equipped with stop-key and a side view of one of the manual-keys by which same is operated, nio-1t of the intermediate connecting mechanism or action being removed; Fig'. 9 is a side view of an instrument equipped with a plurality of stop-keys, showing part of the Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led January 20, 1908.

action and one of the keys by which said keys arc controlled; and Fig. 10 1s an en- I Patented Mar. 29, 1910. serial No. 411,759.

larged detail of part of the action shown in Fig. 9.

As will be evident from reference to my said pending application, Serial Number 401,387, I have invented a mechanism by which a plurality of instruments of the violin class can be played by a single operator who sits at a key-board practically identical with the ordinary piano or organ key-board. Depression of each manual-key l of said key-board 2 causes one note to be played, suitable action being intermediate each key l and the particular instrument that key controls. As this action and the general organization of my mechanism are fully described and claimed in my aforesaid pending application, I have herein described and shown only enough of such action parts to explain the method employed to control the operation of the devices for regulating the vibratory string-length, which devices form the subject-matter of this application. It should be understood, however, that this action, so far as concerns these parts (which are hereinafter called stop-keys) is merely 'illustrative and may be replaced by any other mechanism or apparatus suitable for actuating and controlling the stop-keys. In my said violin-playing mechanism each instrument is rocked or otherwise moved into engagement with a bow or plucker the position of which does not change, and the string-stopping device herein shown serves the additional function of causing such movement of th-e instrument. In case, however, it should be found necessary to change this construction and instead to move the bowing means so that same will engage a fixed instrument, the instrument-strings will still be properly stopped by the invention herein described and claimed. These stop-keys, accordingly, can be used for the sole purpose of stopping the string, or they can be used to move the instrument without stopping the string, or they can be used both to stop the string and to move the instrument, as circumstances may render desirable.

Each instrument to be played is movably supported by the frame-work 5 and is moved the proper distance to carry its string or strings into and out of engagement with a bow or plucker by the act of the operator in depressing the particular manual-key l of the key-board 2 by which said instrument is controlled, the movement of said manualkcys being communicated to the respective instruments controlled thereby by appropriate action, such, for example, as that shown in my said pending application, Serial Number L101,387. Preferably the instruments are pivotally mounted, and, to the body of each instrument, at a point adjacent to its tail-piece, is fastened a thin strip S which is pivoted by a pin 9 in the support or hanger 10, and upon pin 9, or any other suitable pivot, the violin or other instrument 12 is rocked and its string 11 carried into and out of engagement with a bow or plucker, such, for example, as rotating wheel t3.

1n the neck 17 of the instrument is a perforation 13 in which slides a block 19 which is drawn in one direction or the other by screw 21, string 11 being secured to block 1t) by a plug 2S, so that the string is tuned by turning screw 21. A. saddle 29 is fitted :into a recess 3() in neck 17, upon which saddle and the bridge 31 the string 11 rests, the distance between the saddle and the bridge being the greatest length of the vibratory part of the string. To stop the string at various points intermediate the saddle and bridge (as is done by the fingers in playing by hand), a stop-key or damper 32 is provided. Said key comprises a flat, blade-like end 33, the outer straight edge of which is notched at 341 to receive the string 11, and a shank or stem which passes through a perforation 3G in the neck 17. A spring 37 secured by a plug 3S to the neck passes through a perforation near the end of the shank 35, and keeps the blade 33 of the key normally pressed toward the neck 17 and out of contact with string 11. The sides of the bladelike end 33 slide in recesses 39 in guideblocks l0 which blocks are secured by screws 41 one on each side of the neck 17. Blocks 40 terminate in inwardly-projecting beveled heads 42, against the slanting edges yLl-,3 of which the beveled edges Ll-t of the key-ends strike, so that, as key 32 is pressed toward the string 11, its end 33 will be wedged in between the blocks 10, and, as the pressure upon key-stem 35 continues and increases, the blocks will be pushed forward, carrying therewith the neck 17 of the instrument 12, and, since each instrument is movably mounted, to move its neck forward or backward will carry the instrument to such position that its string 11 passes into or out of engagement with the bow G. The face of neck 17 is notched or grooved at 1th, the inner edge 11G of each key-end being adapted to seat in one of said recesses during such time as the damper or key 32 is not thrust forward against the string 11. then any key 32 is pressed forward against the blocks 410, it is held so rigidly as practically to form one piece with the neck. The key,

accordingly7 is immovable when the string 11 is vibrating, and a clear tone is produced, while if the key 32 were loose enough to move trom side to side, a` disagreeable rattling tone would result.

As explained more particularly in my said pending application, each instrument can be arranged to play only one note, or it may play several notes, the number of notes which any instrmnent plays depending upon the complement of keys 32 and associated parts provided. Assuming, for example, that the instrument is equipped with an c string and that. it is to play note o, key 32 and blocks ll0 may be placed at any pointr on the neck 17, the head being so deeply notched at as not to stop the string at all.

Such a key will, of course, properly move the instrument so that its string '11 will be bowed whenever desired, but the string, not; being stopped, will sound its open tone, in this case, (L. lf the same instrument be used to play (L-sharp, the heatV 33 of key 32 must be of such shape that it will stop the string, and the key must be placed at such distance from the saddle 29 as to make the vibratory string-length that required for playing a-sharp. lf Y) is the note to be played, the key 32 must be placed still farther away from the saddle 2f), and so on.

lf any one instrument is to play several notes, it is best to provide same with as many grooves l5, keys 32, etc., as there are notes te bc played (such an instrument being shown in Fig. El), and, when that numbei' of keys 32, etc., is provided, the head 33 of that stop-ke 32 nearest the saddle 29 is so deeply recessed at 34- that it will not stop string 11, yet, at the same time` will move the instrument against its bow. lf that key 32 first in order be thrust forward by the action, the instrument will be moved torward so that its string 1l will be properly bowed but as the full length of the string is allowed to vibrate, owing to the depth of the` notch 3l of said key, the string sounds an open tone, playing a. assuming. as before, that the instrument is eduippd with an n string. When the key 32 normally tittiug into the second groove l5 is thrust forward (said key being the one shown by way of example in Figs. 1 and 2) the instrument is moved, as before, but, in addition to moving the instrument, this key stops the string 1l at such a point that f/-sharp will be sounded. lVhen the key normally held in the fourth groove is thrust forward (said key being the one depicted by way of example in Fig. S) the instrument will sound f1, and so on, the number of notes which any instruulent can sound depending on the number of keys and associated parts provided, and the note to be played because of the movement of any given key 32 being determined by the distance of that key from the saddle 2S) f instrument moved into playing and the note to which the string 11 is tuned. Although but a few of the instruments used in my violin-playing mechanism are intended to play more than one note, it is well to provide the neck 17 of each instrument with several. grooves 15 and perforations 36 (seven of each being shown in the drawings) so that each instrument can, with no other' adjustment than fixing its stop-key or keys 32 in the proper place or places, be used to play any or all of the notes within the compass of its string 11. Thus, each instrument will be readily interchangeable with any other instrument of the same kind.

When any instrument equipped with the stop-keys herein described is to be tuned, it is moved by hand so that its string 11 will engage the bow-wheel 6. Since the spring 37 keeps the stop-key 32 normally pressed away from the string 11, and since moving the instrument by hand does not move the stop-key, the instrument, when moved by hand, will play the open tone of the string, no matter what note it would play were the position by the stop-key. ln the violin-playing mechanisln referred to, provision is made for playing' cach note of the chromatic scale, either by providing a separate instrument for each note, or by equipping one of the instruments to play several notes. In cases where each note is played by a different instrument it is undesirable (though, of course, feasible) to tune each instrument to the note it is to play, since only an expert tuner could then properly tune all the instruments. instead, several instruments are each equipped with strings all normally playing the same note. For example, the notes a, a-sharp, c, c-sharp, d, and Z-sharp can be played on violins each equipped with an a string', the string of each of these instruments except the one that plays a being stopped at the proper point intermediate the saddle 29 and bridge 31. All the instruments of that group, however, are tuned alike to a by pushing same by hand toward the bow, thus obviating the necessity of tuning each half-tone by itself.

The screws 41 which bind the blocks i() to the neck 17 pass through slots 39 in said blocks. The blocks can thus be adjusted with great exactness, sliding' same back or forth while the screws are loosened so as to regulate precisely the forward thrust per-4 mitted the keys 32, which thrust terminates when the keys strike the blocks. Since the degree of pressure upon the string 11 eX- erted by the 'key determines the pitch of the tone, and since this pressure can be increased or diminished by lengthening or shortening the stroke of keys 32, it is obvious that the point at which the blocks t() are secured will control the pitch of the tone, and that by altering the position of blocks 40, the instrument can be tone-regulated.

In order that the operation of the stopkeys 32 may be more fully understood, some forms of action adapted to actuate the sam-e are shown in the drawings. As hereinabove stated, the instruments are preferably controlled from a key-board 2, depression Vof any one of the various manual-keys 1 of which causes the instrument that key controls to play the desired note. The first members of the trains of action parts shown in this application are suitably connected to keys 1 by parts neither shown nor described in this application since their construction and operation are fully set forth in my pending application, Serial Number 401,387. Projecting downwardly from each key 1, (Figs. S and 9) is a rod or link 11, which passes through a guide opening in the board 2l on which all of keys 1 are mounted. Each rod 11 is secured to and rocks a bell-crank 3, suitably mounted for pivotal movement. Each bell-crank is in turn iiexibly connected to a rod' or link 95 which has its opposite end connected to the stop 40. In Fig. 9, the bell-crank 3 is shown connected to rod 83, this arrangement being a second form of mechanism for transmitting motion from the keys to the stops.

In Fig. 9 are shown rods 7980, 81, 32, and 83, which rods are, of course, moved by depression of the proper manual-keys. Each of said rods carries a flexible screw-threaded rod 84, upon which is a nut 85, said rod passing through a perforation 86 in the end of one of the levers 87, 88, 89, 90, and 91, which are engaged, respectively, by rods 79, 80, 31, 82, and S3. Through a perforation at 92 in the opposite end of each of said levers 87, 88, 89, 90, and 91, a flexible member 93 passes, on which members nuts 911 are screwed, and by said flexible members 93 levers 37, 8S, 89, 90, and 91 are connected, respectively, to rods 95, 9G, 97, 93, and 99, each of which bears upon a shank 35 of one ofthe keysl 32. It follows, accordingly, that depression of the proper manual-key will be communicated through rod 79, lever 87, and rod 95 to that/key 32 nearest the saddle 29 on the instrument shown in Fig. 9, each part moving in the direction indicated by arrows A, and that depression of any other manualkey 1, through the action members connected thereto, will ca use a forward thrust of that stop-key 32 which'said manual-ke controls, whether said stop-key be on the same or any other instrument, so that depression of the proper manual-key will cause any desired note to be sounded by the particular instrument provided to play that note.

Each of the levers 87, 88, 39, 90, and 91 is pivoted at 111 in a holder 102, which holder is slotted at each end, lever 87 (to use this as Cit an example of the construction common to the others) being in slot 103.r and a crosspicce 10l in slot105. llolder 102 slides upon piece 101 or is secured thereto, holderI 102 lieing bifurcated to receive piece 10-1-A and being fastened by means of screw 1013. ln one of the supports 5 are recesses to receive the inturned ends 10T of wire yoke 10S and the inturned end 100 of wire 110, which wire passes through a pertforation in the leverholder 102. Yoke 108 is fitted over the end of wire 110, and by these two members holder 102 is secured in any desired position upon support t'lince the action must be very delicately adjusted, and the distance from pivot 111 to support 5 regulated with great exactness, in order that lever T may be in the precise position to give the proper throw to that key 32 which said lever 8T controls, the holder 102 can not be permanently secured to support 5, as by glue, screws, or the like, but is held by the wire members 10S and 1.10 which can be bent by pliers so as to pivot lever Si' at the point necessary to secure pivot- 11,1 in the precise position required therefor. @wing to the fact that the connection between lever ST and pin is flexible, and the pins 95, 0G, etc., pass through a perforated guideblock 05?, the end of pin 05 will not slip or slide on stop-key shank which same engages.

B'l'oditied forms of action parts are shown in Figs. 5,-(3, and 7. 1n Fig. (3 is shown a yoke 112 between the arms of which bellcrank 113 Vis pivoted, said bell-crank rocking upon pivot 114 when pulled by a longitudinally-extending rod 115 flexibly connected to bell-crank 113 through a perforation 110 in one arm of the bell-crank. To the other arm a small block 117 is pivoted at 118. which block is slotted at 119 to straifldle the bell-crank arm and bears upon the end of a key-stem and, as bell-crank 11? is properly rocked block 11T presses the key 212 forward. Since block 11T pivotally mounted on the bell-crank 11S-3, it will not rub or slide upon the end of shank 35. Fig. 5 depicts gl'oups of action parts in which the hell-cranks 120 are held in slotted blocks 121, and are themselves slotted, flat blades 122-being pivoted in the slots at 123, each of which tlat. blades engages one of the keystems S5. Yhen rods are pulled by the depression of the proper manual-key, bell-cranks 120 will be rocked. Fig. T dcpicts a slight modification of Fig. G, the bell-crank 113-3 in this instance having an ear 120 through which connecting rod 115 passes. 1t should be understood that blocks 112 and 121 may be fastened to their respective supports by wires S and 110 in a manner similar to that employed to bind holder 102 to its support 1t will be observed that in the instruments employed in this mechanism their respective nient is stepped.

strings 11 are stopped by pressing them away from the neck, while in a hand-played violin the string to be stopped is pressed toward the neck. ln the hand-played violin, moreover, the bridge is sometimes held in position on the belly of the instrument by the strings alone, and the stopping of any string causes an increased pressure on the bridge, andtends to hold same in place more lirmly than before. Since, however, in this invention the stopping of the string occasioned by pushing it away from the neck, thereby lessening the pressure which holds the bridge upon the belly of the instrument, it is well to secure the bridge to the belly by glue, screws, or otherwise so that the bridge can not. drop out of position when the instrument is played.

Vilien the instrument is to be played, the bows (i are rotated by any suitable means. To play the desired note or notes the player depresses the appropriate manual-key or keys 1, just as it' he were playing an organ or piano, and the depression of such key or keys 1 is translated by the action into forward thrust of the stop-key or keys 32 controlled thereby. Each key 32 (unless notched so deeply at as not to engage the string 11 at all) will, as it is thrust forward, stop the string 11 and then wedge itself against the blocks yt0 so as to move the instrument to a point where its string 11 is bowed by wheel (5 or some equivalent device. Since the stop-key engages and stops string 11 before said string comes into contact. with the bowing means, any tendency toward playing false notes, which might otherwise be present, is eliminated. Vhen the note has been played long enough, the players finger is removed from key 1 and springs 3T and 163 return all parts to starting position.

As hereinabove stated, this .invention can be applied to any stringed instrun'ient in which the note to be played depends upon the point at which the string of the instru- The term violin in the appended claims is used as indicating generically all instruments of that character, and not merely to cover instruments of the particular size and shape ordinarily designated as violins.

Having thus described my said invention, what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is:

1. A violin having a perforated neck, a stop-key the stem of whichv passes through said perforation, a block the end of which projects inwardly to a point where it is interposed in the path of travel of the stopkey head, a string so placed that said stopkey will engage same before engaging said block, and means for moving said key into engagement with said string and block.

The combination of a violin, a movable member provided with a head the outer edge of which engages the string of the violin, one of the side edges of said head being beveled, a block carried on said violin, said block having` a slanting edge, and means for causing said member to move into engagement with the string of the violin, said beveled edge of said head being thereby caused to engage said slanting edge of said block.

3. The combination of a violin, a movable member provided with a head the outer edge of which engages the string of the violin, the side edg'es of said head being beveled, a pair of blocks carried one on each side of the neck of said violin, each of said blocks having a slanting edge, and means to cause said'member to move into engagement with the string' of the violin, the beveled edges of said head being thereby caused to engage said slanting edges of said blocks.

4. The combination of a violin, the neck of which is perforated and grooved, a movable member comprising a head and a stem, the stem of which passes through the perforation and the head of which normally seats in said groove, and means for moving said member to a point where its head engages the string of the violin.

5. The combination of a violin, the neck of which is perforated and grooved, a movable member comprising a head and a stem, the stem of which passes through the perforation and the head of which normally seats in said groove, and means for moving said member to a point where its head engages the string of the violin, said head being notched to receive the string.

6. The combination of a violin', means to stop the string thereof by pushing same outwardly from the violin-neck, and means against which the end of said string-stopping means is adapted to strike.

7. The combination of a violin, a movable member adapted to stop the string of the violin, a slotted guide for said movable member carried upon the violin, and fastening means passing through said slot to bind said'guide upon the violin.

8. The combination of' a violin, a movable member adapted to stop the string of the violin, means against which said movable string-stopping member is adapted to strike, whereby to render said movable member fixed with relation to said violin through the remainder of its throw, and means to adjust the position of said lirst-mentioned means with respect to said violin, thereby to determine the extent of throw permitted said movable member.

9. The combination of a violin, a movable member adapted to stop the string of the violin, and means carried by said violin and engaged by said movable member when same has been moved a predetermined distance, said means being adapted then to hold said movable member in fixed relation to said violin.

10. r1`he combination of a violin, a movable member adapted to stop the string of the violin, and a pair of grooved blocks against which said movable member is adapted to strike, the side-edges of said movable member being normally retained within said grooves.

11. rlhe combination of a violin, a stopkey slidably projected through the neck of the violin, a member engaging the key, a -pivoted lever to move said member, the connection between said member and said lever being yielding, a rod to pull said lever, and a manual-key to operate said rod, said stopkey being acted on from behind the violin vneck to engage the string opposite said neck.

12. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in contact with the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted, a support therefor, and wire means to bind said yoke to said support.

13. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in contact with the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted, a support therefor, and yielding means to bind said yoke to said support.

14. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in contactwith the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted, a support therefor, and a flexible means to bind said yoke to said support.

15. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in contact with the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted,a support therefor, and a pair of wires, one engaging the other, to bind said yoke to said support.

16. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in Contact with the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted, a support therefor, and a wire passing through said yoke.

17. The combination of a violin, a stopkey for same, a member in contact with the stop-key, a lever to actuate said member, a yoke in which said lever is pivoted, a support therefor, a wire passing through said yoke, and a keeper engaging and locking said wire.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

a HENRY SCHLEMMER.

Vitnesses:

E. KUNKLER, HENRY HoENE. 

